The Doomsday Book records the presence of a priest and a church at Garton in 1086, and in 1121 it was one of the seven churches with which Walter Espec endowed Kirkham Priory. Nothing is known about the 11th century church, which would have been a very primitive structure, and this was replaces in the 12th century by a large but simple building consisting of a nave, a chancel and a west tower.
The lower part of the tower and south wall of the nave with two round-headed windows, are recognisably of this period, as is the west door, which has a round arch with chevron and billet ornament, jamb shafts with scalloped capitals and, above the door, a relief of St Michael and the dragon flanked by angels. This is now so badly eroded as to be barely legible. A three-light window was inserted into the south wall in the fourteenth century and the top of the tower was rebuilt in the fifteenth century.
in 1856-7 Sir Tatton Sykes, the 4th baronet of Sledmere, employed the well-known church architect, J.L Pearson, to rebuild the chancel in the Norman style, re-using the old foundation and the original windows. Pearson also added a north vestry, rebuilt the north wall of the nave and restored the south doorway. Inside, a new chancel arch was constructed, with an unusual triple opening in the gable above.
In 1872 Sir Tatton's son, also Sir Tatton, the 5th Baronet, embarked on a lavish programme of decoration for the church under the supervision of G.E. Street, another leading London architect. Most remarkable is the series of wall paintings by the celebrated firm of Clayton & Bell which cover over all of the internal walls. They and the painted roof were completed by July 1876 and cost altogether the substantial sum of £3,056.16s. The unusual glazed Spanish times forming a dado in the nave are due to Street. He also designed the chancel screen (1875) and the oak font cover (1877). In 1878 Pearson was re-employed and designed the pavements, of Cosmati work within the altar rails, of coloured marbles elsewhere in the chancel, and of mosaic in the nave. In 1870 the choir stalls were fixed and Clayton & bells' stained glass windows installed. The font dates from 1880. The nave pews were set up in 1899, designed by Temple Moore who had in 1893 designed Sledmere church for Sir Tatton Sykes.
The interior of the church is an exceptionally well preserved Victorian ensemble. The only fittings to have disappeared are the hanging lamps installed in 1881. The wall paintings were conserved in 1986-91, by Donald Smith and Wolfgang Gärtner, with funds raised by the Pevsner Memorial Trust and local residents, in memory of the eminent architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner; who had first drawn attention to their importance. In 1972, in the Yorkshire: York and the East Riding volume of his series The Buildings of England (Penguin) he had written 'it is essential that they be preserved'. It is gratifying that, through the generosity of his many admirers, Pevsner's call to action has saved this remarkable example of Victorian art and devotion.
The cache itself is located just outside of the church grounds and is easily accessed by foot either round or through the church yard. Parking is available but may vary so no waypoint has been made available. There isn't any space for swaps and isn't recommended for tb's so again remember to bring your own pen. Have fun!
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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